Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Hey again. I thought I'd try a oneshot with Inuyasha and Kagome. While I enjoy Sess/Kag fanfics, my traditional pairing in Inuyasha is him and Kagome. They just seem meant for one another. Enjoy my short but sweet love story, between the unwanted hanyou, and the uncertain miko.

"Life isn't measured by the number of breaths

you take, but by the

number of moments that take

your breath away."

Take My Breath Away

Kagome sat down beneath a tree, grimacing from the soreness acquired from too much exercise in the feudal era. She could hear the others making camp, and for once she wasn't there helping them. No, today was something special to her. She wanted to remember the beauty of a sunset in her past.

For the next day brought a day dreaded and anticipated for several years. The day when the Shikon became whole once more, the day when they finally fought one last time with Naraku, and the day when her future in the past would be decided.

So, just in case, she wanted to remember something beautiful from this time. At the moment Kagome didn't want to see her friends, since she would only be reminded that she might never see them again. She had spent time with them the past days, memorizing their faces, remembering their laughs.

"Hentai!" She smiled slightly. Here it came…SLAP! Miroku never learned, and that's not saying much for a monk. His wandering hand, supposedly cursed, would always remain in her memories, along with her dear friend Sango, who had been a sister to her, and her kit Shippo.

But then there was Inuyasha. Her best friend. The man she had come to love. She couldn't leave him, could she?

"Inuyasha." she whispered to the dying sun. It was almost time for the sunset. "Inuyasha, I'm so scared. I'm scared about tomorrow's battle. I'm scared I won't be strong enough to fix the Jewel. I'm scared that, at the end of all things, I won't have a choice. And I'm so frightened, that if I do have a choice, someone will still get hurt by it."

The tree Kagome was sitting under was the last tree of the forest they had been traveling in. Before her was a cliff, cut by the wind centuries ago. The sun was beginning its age old dance with the colors, as it began its journey beyond the horizon. The yellow and gold was almost melting into oranges and pinks when an unknown listener stepped from behind the trees, uncharacteristically thoughtful. Even he knew the weight of the matters that were to take place the next day.

"And if you had a choice, what would it be Kagome?" he said softly.

The miko stiffened, but couldn't tear her eyes off her last sunset. She thought about the question as her friend settled himself beside her. Quickly, she glanced at him as he stared into the sunset, and found something even more beautiful. The gold of his eyes reflected the colors of the sunset, making them dance with unbidden fires. She was captured by the openness he was showing this night. He turned his head to look at her in the eyes as his comforting fires began to burn away her fears.

"Your answer, Kagome?"

Inuyasha in turn found something more beautiful in the eyes of the girl beside him. He saw the blues of her eyes swallow the fires of the sunset, swirling them into her own, darker, myriad of colors, making purples and deep blues. But what he saw that mesmerized him the most was the trust he saw in her eyes, the love in the girl who vowed to always stand with him.

"Inuyasha…my answer is…I know, no matter what happens that you will always protect me. I know that even if I am sent back to the future, you will live to see me again. And I know this too, Inuyasha. That…that I love you. And I know nothing, not even time itself, will stop my love for you."

Kagome blushed a little, as she turned her head to watch the sun slip into the starry night. She had said what she had wanted to say for so long, and now nothing would prevent her from giving everything she had the next day, for she knew that at least, Inuyasha would know how she felt. She wasn't prepared for what happened next though. He didn't leave. He didn't tell her he loved Kikyo. He answered her.

Inuyasha stared at this girl. She had just laid her heart bare before him, before him. She hadn't ordered him to change so she could love him. She didn't even tell him why she loved him. She simply loved him. And Inuyasha knew something he had known for a long time but hadn't accepted. He looked at her now. She was looking out into the night, a sad smile on her lips, a strange scent on her skin She thought he wouldn't care. But Inuyasha knew differently. So, he answered.

Pulling her into his arms before she could say anything or move, he kissed her. Into that kiss he poured all his feelings, for the first time letting her see how he truly felt. He poured his happiness at her acceptance, his sadness of what might be, his fierce protection over what was his, and his love and desire towards her, all into one loving kiss.

When they broke free, Kagome smiled. A real smile, with no sadness in it. With his love, she could make it. With his love, there was hope for the morrow. With his love, she knew she would remember this night for more than a sunset. She snuggled against him, safe for the moment from all the cares of the world.

"Inuyasha," she said softly, "I love you, no matter what." She looked up, her crystal blue eyes catching and keeping his loving golden ones.

"I love you too, Kagome. No matter what." The two lovers settled down, to rest and wait for the sunrise.

That was sadder than I thought it would be. But sunrise, you know, hope? Maybe what you get out of it won't be as sad as it was when I wrote it. Oh well. I really liked it. .

And yes, I know Kagome has brown eyes. The blue eyes just went better. She does have brown eyes, right? It's been awhile since I've seen the anime. Please review, I'd like to know what you though about my little love story. But seriously. Moments that take your breath away. Those are the moments worth living for.